Has anyone been confused and didn’t know what to do? We sometimes see a decision to make and we don’t know which one to make. Well we can look back to our past and our upbringing to see some clues.
Has anyone been corrected by their parents? Either by punishment or by a stern talking to? Depending on the relationship you have with your parents, those punishments or words can have a lasting impact that can affect you and your decisions years later.
It usually doesn’t feel good at all when we are punished by our parents. We can be mad at them for a season, but if we have good parents then we can rest assure that they were wanting the best for us even though we don’t understand it at the time.
“My son, keep your father’s command, and don’t reject your mother’s teaching. Always bind them to your heart; tie them around your neck. When you walk here and there, they will guide you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; when you wake up, they will talk to you. For a command is a lamp, teaching is a light, and corrective discipline is the way to life. They will protect you from an evil woman, from the flattering tongue of a stranger”. Proverbs 6:20-24
Hcsb Bible
It says in the verse that teaching is light and what it means is that the teaching you grow up with helps shed light on your circumstances and helps you decide the best course of action. It’s much harder to make a decision or go on a journey without a light to help guide you since it would be dark the entire way and you won’t know where your next step will be.
The next step could be on solid ground(a good decision), or step in some animal matter or off of a cliff ( different levels of bad decisions).
I remember several times growing up watching my step dad and seeing him work hard and then he instilled in me a strong work ethic and told me that when I grew up that I would have to work a lot too and didn’t sugarcoat it.
Also my biological dad would almost religiously tell me to always “think things through” so that I didn’t get fooled into things that would bring me down or would regret later. I have to say, both of these quotes and or observations are just a few of the things that I remember from my parents that have helped guide me in life today.
Those two lessons by themselves have helped me to avoid being homeless and being responsible and then also not falling Trap to a get rich quick scheme or any sort of risky decision that would have ruined my testimony and reputation.
Have I made plenty of mistakes? Oh yes, I certainly have unfortunately, but they were mistakes that i could rebound from because of the wisdom from my parents.
Everyone would do much better in general if we would listen to our parents for the most part. We would learn from their mistakes and hopefully not make the same ones. The problem is though, that culture and media have done a good job of making people think their parents are dumb or incompetent. Especially the dads for some reason.
The lessons and punishments from your parents today, can help guide you tomorrow. So listen to them. Though we may not like it or think they may be boring, if their good parents and want the best for you, then we can learn a lot from them.
I know this from experience, especially after I recently got a house and all the decisions that come with that. I could have been overwhelmed or made a terrible decision but the lessons from my dad and stepdad ( yes I learned from my mom too) have helped guide me in my life up until this point and forward.
So listen to that boring or stubborn old man or woman that pays the bills for the house you live in. You may just learn a thing or two. Thank you and I hope you have a great day.
The Bible Life 